Iran has been an authoritarian Islamic republic for more than 40 years, and most Iranians know Islam is not the answer. “The average Iranian believes that Islam is bankrupt,” said an ICR field worker. Because of this, Iranians are open to other faiths, and the Iranian underground church is among the fastest-growing evangelical movements in the world. While the Iranian government has some respect for historically Christian groups and other minorities in the country, it treats converts to Christianity with an iron fist. The number of raids on homes, arrests, and even executions in recent years has increased.